Bottle carrier



June 26, 1962 R. E. DE PAUL 7 3,04

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed June 1, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 26, 1962 R. E. DE PAUL BOTTLE CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 1, 1960 m; z 5 w liLl 1 d0 L Q Q m 1 a W n ,w .|.l.i.i. |.l. fi 26 A 3% Q 5 MT a 4, 7 V MM United States Patent 3,040,962 BOTTLE CARRIER Richard E. De Paul, Norristown, Pa., assignor to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 1, 1960, Ser. No. 33,190 4 Claims. Cl. 22940) The present invention relates to paperboard cartons, and more particularly to cartons of open end, wraparound style designed to carry two rows of bottles.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified form of open end carrier for bottles, having retaining means at one or both open ends which will tend to prevent accidental disengagement of bottles from the carrier.

A further object is to provide a carrier of the type referred to having a central upstanding, retaining member at one or both ends of the carrier, such retaining member being formed from the inner of two overlapping panels comprising the bottom of the carrier, whereby the retaining member may be held in its retaining position by gluing one of its parts to the outer of the two overlapping bottom panels.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings-- FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the carrier loaded with bottles;

FIG. 2 is an end view showing the upstanding retaining member in relation to bottles in the carrier;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the lower portion of the carrier with bottles omitted; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a preferred form of paperboard blank from which the carrier may be made.

The carton of the present invention, as herein disclosed, is formed from an elongated, rectangular blank of foldable paperboard. The blank provides a top panel which may have openings to admit the necks of bottles. At the lateral edges of the top panel are sloping corner portions to conform to the shoulders of the bottles. The sloping corner portions connect with the side walls which carry rectangular bottom sections on their lower edges. The bottom sections are secured in overlapping relation to form a composite bottom panel. The carton is designed for two rows of bottles, with three bottles in each row and the blank is wrapped around the bottles and secured with the connected panels in snug engagement with the bottle group. A partition member, not shown, is preferably used to keep the bottles out of direct contact with each other. The overlying bottom section is suitably cut to provide upstanding retaining members to prevent accidental displacement of the bottles from the carton open ends.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the blank as shown in FIG. 5 is die cut and crease scored to provide a central top panel 10, side wall panels 11 and 12 and two rectangular bottom sections 13 and 14 designed to be joined in overlapping relation to form a composite bottom panel. The carton or carrier as shown is constructed to hold bottles and, while the invention is particularly suitable for bottles, it is also contemplated that the invention may be employed to advantage for carrying filled cylindrical cans as well as other cylindrical articles with or without a reduced size neck portion typical of bottles.

The top panel is die cut to provide two rows of openings 15, 15 through which the necks of bottles 16, 16 may extend. See FIG. 1. The top includes two sloping panels 10a, 10a, defined from the main portion 10 3,649,962 Patented June 26, 1962 by fold lines 17, 17 and from the side wall panels by fold lines 18, 18. These portions 10a generally conform to the slope of the rounded shoulders of the bottles.

The bottom sections 14 and 13 are secured in overlapping relation preferably by means of adhesive applied to one or the other sections. Means are provided on the end of bottom section 13 for retaining bottles from accidental displacement from the open ends of the carrier. For this purpose the two outer corner areas of section 13 are cut and creased to provide upwardly foldable retaining portions indicated as a whole at 20, 20. A diagonally extending crease or score line 21 is impressed across each corner area and a second crease or score line indicated at 22 extends from each corner inward at right angles to score line 21. These lines thus define two hinged triangular retaining portions 23 and 24 which are foldable to an upstanding position as best shown in FIG. 4. A securing flap 25 is cut from the bottom section 13 along slit line 26 and is hingedly carried on the retaining portion 24 along fold line 27. Thus, when the two retaining portions 23 and 24 are folded upward, the securing flap 25 will be folded relatively to its attached portion 24 about the fold line 27. In practice this securing flap will remain approximately in flat position against the bottom section 14 as the retaining portions are brought to their raised position. After the securing flap has been moved outward to the edge of the section 14, as indicated in FIG. 4, it is then preferably secured to such bottom section. This may be accomplished by applying a small amount of adhesive to the flap 25 or to the area on the section 14 where the flap is to be brought to rest.

An alternative manner of wrapping this carrier around a group of bottles is first to fold the section 13 against the bottom of the bottle group; next bring the retaining parts to the positions shown in FIG. 4; and] finally swing section 14 into underlying contact with the marginal portion of section 13 and consequently also against the securing flap 25. Before section 14 is moved to its bottom forming position it will receive a coating of adhesive over the area necessary to cause adherence to the flap 25 and section 13.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive form of wraparound carton to carry bottles. By forming the bottle retaining parts in one of the bottom sections, leaving the remaining bottom section in uncut condition, such remaining bottom section may serve as the outside and as the base to which the securing flap of the retaining element can be attached.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. An open end carrier for bottles, such carrier being formed from foldable paperboard and comprising a pair of side wall panels, a bottom wall section hingedly carried by each side wall panel on its lower edge, means for connecting the two bottom sections in lapping relation to form a composite bottom panel, a centrally located, upstanding retaining member for at least one open end of the carrier, said retaining member being provided from a foldable portion located at an outer edge of the inner or overlying one of the two lapping bottom sections and formed entirely from such inner section, and a flap integrally hinged to said foldable portion, said flap being secured flatwise on the outer lapping section for retaining the foldable portion in upstanding position on the composite bottom panel.

2. An open end carrier for bottles, such carrier being formed from foldable paperboard and comprising a pair of side wall panels, a bottom wall section hingedly carried by each side wall panel on its lower edge, means for connecting the twobottomssections in lapping relae tion to form a composite bottom panel, a centrally located, upstanding retaining member for at least one open end of the carrier, said retaining member being provided from a folda-ble portion formed at an outer edge of the inner or overlying one of the two lapping bottom sections, such foldable portion comprising two hingedly connected, triangular parts, one part being hinged to the bottom section and the other part carrying a connecting flap, and means for securing the connecting flap flatwise on the underlying bottom section.

3. An open end carrier for bottles, such carrier being formed from foldable paperboard and comprising a pair of side wall panels, a bottom wall section hingedly carried by each side wall panel on its lower edge, means for connecting the two bottom sections in lapping relation to form a composite bottom panel, a centrally located, upstanding retaining member for at least one open end of the carrier, said retaining member being provided from a foldable portion formed at an outer edge of the inner or overlying one of the two lapping bottom sections, such foldable portion being generally triangular in shape and having a fold line formed therein separating such portion into two symmetrical triangular parts, a first triangular part being hinged to the bottom section and a second part hinged to the first part, said second part having hinged thereon a securing flap adapted to lie fiat against the underlying bottom section when the first and second triangular, hinged parts are folded in upstanding bottle-retaining position, and means for attaching the securing flap flatwise on said underlying bottom section.

4. A blank for an open end carrier for bottles and similar articles, such blank being formed from a rectangular strip of foldable paperboard creased transversely to provide top and side wall sections and two lapping bottom sections at the ends of the blank, one bottom section having impressed across at least one outer corner a score l-ine disposed at approximately a 45 angle to the edge of such bottom section and extending respectively to the end of the blank and to a lateral edge, a second score line impressed in the blank extending from such outer corner and meeting the first score line at a right angle substantially midway of such score line and providing two upwardly foldable sections of a retaining member, the blank being cut or slit inwardly of the blank along a line extending from the point where the second score line meets the first score line to the point where the first score line meets the end edge of the blank, thereby to provide a securing flap cut from. said one bottom section and hinged to one of said foldable sections along the first score line.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,765,075 Murray Oct. 2, 1956 2,867,320 Andre Jan. 6, 1959 2,872,036 For-rer Feb. 3, 1959 2,877,894 Forrer Mar. 17, 1959 2,922,561 Currivan Jan. 26, 1960 

